Random Piece of Story

Hey, people!

Last Friday my lovely boss gave me a day off. I tried as much as I could to arrange a trip, I called all my friends in vacations and none of them could, I tried to go on my own, but everything was too expensive. So I settled down with exploring a little city in the heart of Minas Gerais called Belo Horizonte.

I’ve been living in Belo Horizonte for 23 years and there’s not much I haven’t done yet, but there were a few new attractions inside the old attractions that I hadn’t seen. So I made a plan and convinced my brother to join: We would see the Japanese Garden and the Aquarium in the Zoo and finish with the traditional bike ride around Pampulha Lake in the sunset on Friday, go to Serra do Curral’s Park on Saturday and on Sunday we would take my sister-in-law to see Inhotim, the open air museum of modern art.

Everything was going well on the first day, we saw the Garden (Disappointing, I must say) and the Aquarium, but then my brother decided to go back home for work, thus I was alone for the ride.

A brief explanation about how bike rides work in Pampulha. There’s an app that will let you rent a bike at any of the stations around the lake for an hour. After this time, you must leave the bike at any station for fifteen minutes and then you can use it for one more hour. If you don’t return it in time, you pay 6 reais for every 15 minutes late. The whole lake has 18km but the stations are distributed in only 6 of them, it means that after the last station you must make an almost non-stop ride to get back to the first station in time.

Okay, back to the story. I left the last station around 4pm. I was cycling slowly and even stopped for some photos. I was midway between the stations when I realized I’d be back at the station around 5pm and since the sunset was expected for 5:20, I would miss it.. I had a few options:

1- Forget the sunset and go back home at 5pm

2- Stop at the Museum of Modern Art (The best sunset spot in the lake) and pay the fines for returning the bike late

3- Leave the bike at the station at 5pm and walk to a point where the view wouldn’t be as good as at the Museum

I liked none of them. While my mind rushed through which one would be the less bad, I saw the giant wheel turning at Guanabara Park.

Since the wheel started running, in 2010, I had been to the Park twice. The first one the wheel was closed for repair and the second it closed while I waited in line, due to rain. Today it was working. Suddenly I had a chance to check another new attraction of the city I hadn’t seen yet. And since it was right next the bike station, I could get to it on time for the sunset and see it from the perfect spot at the top of the wheel.

Now enters a funny mechanism of my brain. Everytime I take an impulsive decision, it automatically tries to change my mind.

“But you hadn’t planned it!”

“You have not enough money.”

“What if they don’t accept your credit card?”

“It’s vacations, there’s probably a huge line there and you’ll miss the sunset.”

“People will laugh at you cause you’re alone in the park.”

Not today, brain. Not today. I shoved all this stupid excuses away, speeded up my pace and got the station at 4:50. Crossed the street, entered the crowded Park and checked the line: around 15 people, it wouldn’t take long. I rushed to the cashier and they accepted credit cards with a 2 reais tax. The woman couldn’t believe I wanted a single ticket for a single ride, but she sold it anyway.

From the top of the stairs where I waited for my turn in the wheel I could see the sun disappearing behind some houses, the sky slowly turning orange. Right when it was half set, the wheel stopped and I got a gondola for me only.

When it started moving, carrying me higher, above the houses, I could see the orange sun again, shining behind the Skytower. The sun followed me all the way, rising when I went up, setting when I went down. I not only got one beautiful sunset, but as many as cycles of that wheel. With every turn of the wheel I would have to go higher to see the sun again.and the sky would get more and more orange, then purple. Until one turn I reached the top and the sun didn’t appear. I went down and the wheel stopped. Perfect timing.

I was happy beyond measure. I literally hopped to the bus stop. Not only because I had ten sunsets in a day. Not only because I finally rode that wheel. But because I did what I wanted. Not caring for plans, not caring for other people opinions’, not caring for risks that existed only inside my head. I took a chance and it was better than expected.

I’ve been doing this the whole year and, believe me, it usually is better than expected. If you have a chance, go! Try! I’ve learned that it is worth to explore an island in four days. It is worth to take a flight for a new capital in one weekend. It is worth to take a ride to see a neighbour city in one day. It is worth to leave home to visit a park in half a day. It is worth to find a good spot to see the sunset for 30 minutes. All we need to do is pay less attention to excuses and more to the opportunities.